Dining Finds

September 18, 2003|Dale Koppel and Ashley Carmichael and Judith Stocks

Takeout

Boynton Beach: The Olive Garden makes takeout a breeze with its To Go! Menu listing items recommended for takeout because they travel well. All dine-in menu items also are available for takeout, but there's plenty to choose from on the recommended list.

Some people like to fax an order, but I like to phone mine in. It's nice talking to someone who knows what they are talking about. Hats off to The Olive Garden's employee training program.

You can choose from either the lunch entrees or dinner entrees, no matter what time of day you order. Lunch entrees are smaller portions that cost less than comparable dinner ones.

Lunch or dinner, they both come with fresh-baked breadsticks as well as your choice of homemade soup or a fresh garden salad. I opted for the Zuppa Toscana, a hearty but not overly thick cream of potato soup with sausage in it. The person on the phone said it was "A lot more fun" than the low-fat minestrone. Now you know why I like to order over the phone?

Order the chicken parmigiana lunch entree and you'll save $5 (it's $7.75 on the lunch menu; $11.75 on the dinner menu). All that you sacrifice is one piece of chicken. You get three pieces when you order dinner, two at lunch.

However, I was more tempted by the Chicken Giardino, bite-sized pieces of tender chicken with fresh carrots, zucchini and broccoli atop bow-tie pasta. It's tossed in a delicate lemon-herb sauce. There are so many different tastes and textures in this dish, you're bound to experience something new in every mouthful. It's hard to imagine that something low in fat -- nutritional brochures are available -- can taste this delicious. And at $7.25 for the lunch portion, I saved $2.70 over the dinner selection.

I also got three breadsticks wrapped in a foil-lined bag to keep them warm. Here, "stick" is misleading as each is the size of a mini-loaf. In fact, I got two meals out of my order. I ate the chicken and one breadstick for dinner; soup and two sticks for lunch the next day.

Olive Garden, 1001 N. Congress Ave., Boynton Beach, 561-737-4546, is just north of Boynton Beach Boulevard in front of the Boynton Beach Mall. There are many other Olive Gardens throughout South Florida.

-- Dale Koppel

Takeout

SUNRISE: We moved recently, so takeout has been on our menu. I am particularly happy that Gao's Garden Food to Go delivers everything from egg rolls and won tons to beef, chicken and moo shu dishes. Within 40 minutes of ordering, the delivery person was at the door with our box of chicken with snow peas and mushrooms ($7.95 a quart, $4.95 a pint) and a Szechuan-style General Tao's chicken ($9.95). To make serving easy, the order included chopsticks, soy sauce and four fortune cookies.

The chicken with snow peas and mushrooms is colorful with crunchy peas that partner well with sliced mushrooms and slices of tender chicken breast tossed with a slightly but nicely garlicky brown sauce.

The General's chicken provided a kick with the lightly breaded chicken breast chunks tossed with a garlic and red pepper sauce. You can have it as spicy or mild as you please.

Of course, you also get a pint of steamed rice with each dish.

Gao's Garden Food to Go, 3856 N. University Drive, 954-578-1715, is just north of Oakland Park Boulevard on the east side of University Drive in the Mercede American Plaza. Delivery is available with a $10 minimum order to a limited area.

-- Ashley Carmichael

Early bird

Restaurant: Luv'n Oven.

Address: 7515 NW 57th St., Tamarac.

Phone: 954-722-0700.

Wheelchair accessible: yes.

Early bird hours: 3:30-6 p.m. daily.

Meal includes: Soup and salad, garlic bread, entree (non-pasta dishes also include a side of spaghetti or a vegetable), soda, ice tea or coffee.

Price range: $7.95-$8.95.

Service/atmosphere: Friendly servers take good care of you at this cozy neighborhood spot that feels like a mom-and-pop cafe. Hanging plants and the vibrant red, white and green colors of the Italian flag create the casual atmosphere.

Dining notes: I slurped the tasty tomato-based minestrone with tiny pasta to the catchy upbeat tunes of Louis Prima. Then I ate my iceberg lettuce, tomato and cucumber salad drizzled with the house dressing, a good creamy Italian vinaigrette. I was serenaded by Jerry Vale.

There was no doubt I was in an Italian restaurant, starting with Italian bread (split, then brushed with garlic oil) to the last forkful of a tasty entree. The early roster includes about 11 main-course selections for $7.95 and about 21 additional choices at $8.95.

I like the kitchen's take on the classic chicken scarpariello ($8.95). Instead of bone-in chicken, this rendition is easier to eat because it's prepared with thin slices of chicken breast combined with slices of sweet Italian sausage, bell peppers, black olives and pepperoncini. It's all placed in a casserole, splashed with white wine sauce and baked until bubbly and piping hot.

There is just enough of the fork-tender chicken to sate. The sauce is well balanced and pleasant, perfect to sop up with the garlic bread.

-- Judith Stocks

These reviews are done anonymously by professional reviewers working for the Sun-Sentinel.